Online gambling is expanding across the United States, but New York state is yet to join the party. The Big Apple is a tourist mecca, which could boost the revenue generated by its residents when they can legally wager on casino games online. Despite this, the question is still whether New York citizens will have access to iGaming in 2023 or not.
While many lawmakers are still cautious about allowing regulated online gaming, some have slowly warmed to the idea. The first wave of states to approve iGaming legislation included those in the Northeast. New Jersey and Pennsylvania were among the first to launch their iGaming markets, while Rhode Island is planning its own iGaming launch this year.
A federal ban on sports betting remained in place until the Supreme Court struck it down in May of 2018. While the ruling didn’t lift all prohibitions, it did open the door for individual states to decide how to approach the issue. The result is a patchwork of rules, with some forms of online gaming considered legal and others not. For example, daily fantasy games are considered gambling by some states, while others don’t classify them as such.
In terms of the future of legal real-money iGaming, it’s difficult to say for sure. However, the industry is on track to pass $5 billion in wagering by 2023, which means there’s plenty of potential for growth. Some legislators are even willing to lift restrictions on the number of gaming sites that can be licensed in a state.
There is also the possibility that more states will introduce online casino play in the near future, particularly if they see the success of the existing options. This could help ease regulatory concerns and encourage more operators to enter the market. With so many people already gambling online, it’s hard to imagine how much more business would be lost if the industry was suddenly closed off.
The same can be said for other forms of iGaming, such as poker and digital card games. These aren’t as popular with the public as sports and slots, but it’s possible that more states will eventually allow these types of iGaming.
Hawaii remains one of the most restrictive states when it comes to iGaming, with no legal options for its residents to wager on casinos online or in-person. Nevertheless, the Aloha State has seen some efforts to bring sports betting to its residents in recent years, but these have been thwarted by voters. Other states are moving in the right direction, with North Carolina, for example, having recently passed sports betting legislation and launching their online casino market this month. This should help the Tar Heel State join the ranks of the 19 states that now offer iGaming. West Virginia has also just approved iGaming, a move that came about a year after the state legalized online sports betting. Hopefully, New York will follow suit in the near future.